Two exhausting and sweat-filled weeks passed in a jiffy.
After traversing grasslands and mountain paths, the group finally arrived in the vicinity of Demonfall City. As they neared the city, sightings of human civilisation started to increase, including proper lodgings where the group could rest instead of continuing to camp out in the wilds.
On this day, they had decided to spend the night at one of such places – a simple but clean-looking inn. It turned out to be a great decision as well, with heavy rain starting to pour down just after dusk.
"At our current pace, we should be able to reach Demonfall tomorrow," Zhao Yunxiao said as the group sat around a table with tea and some simple dishes. "Let's have a good rest today and make sure that we are in good shape to tackle the mission tomorrow!"
"Yes, sir!" Lu Zhiying nodded while digging in. "That said, I still prefer camping out in the wilds. That way, at least we get to enjoy some tasty meat prepared by Senior Martial Sister Gu."
"That I can't deny," Zhao Yunxiao agreed. "Shall we leave and camp out then?"
"...Don't even think about it," Gu Qiansi shut them down after a short pause, revealing that her attention was not exactly on their conversation.
"Are you worried about them?" Zhao Yunxiao asked.
"Well, they don't look to be in the best shape," Gu Qiansi answered.
"Hmm? What? Who are you talking about?" Lu Zhiying looked around curiously. Only then did she realise who the others were referring to.
A young couple stood at the entrance of the inn, their clothes drenched from the rain as they seemed to be pleading with a stern waiter who had his arms crossed in irritation.
"How old do you think they are, Junior Martial Brother Zhao?" Nie Hanchang asked.
"Judging from their looks, demeanour, and voice, probably early twenties – between twenty and twenty-two," Zhao Yunxiao answered. "Why do you ask?"
"Nothing, just curious," Nie Hanchang replied matter-of-factly.
Zhao Yunxiao: "???"
"What's going on with them?" Lu Zhiying asked. As the only Foundation Building realm cultivator in the group and thus the only one who did not possess spiritual sense, she was unable to observe the situation as closely as the others.
"They are basically begging for food and shelter," Zhao Yunxiao answered.
"That's... basically true, but it wouldn't hurt for you to add more context," Gu Qiansi interjected. "They are travellers from afar, and have expended all of their money on the way. They have wanted to endure their hunger until they reach the city, where they could work for money. Unfortunately, the sudden downpour is causing their body temperature to fall too much. Now, they are hoping for some food to stave off hunger, or at least just a warm spot to rest for the night."
"Oh..." Lu Zhiying's curiosity obviously fell drastically upon hearing that. "That sounds like the typical farce to draw sympathy and obtain donations."
Oh?
Zhao Yunxiao looked at Lu Zhiying in surprise. That was certainly not the reaction that he had expected from her.
"You might be right, but what if you are wrong?" Gu Qiansi was unfazed.
"Go," Zhao Yunxiao chuckled. "You know you want to, so why are you being so wishy-washy about it? Or are you too shy to do it?"
"Who's shy? I'm going now, aren't I?" Gu Qiansi shot Zhao Yunxiao an irritated glare before walking over to the entrance.
Money was the solution for most matters. With Gu Qiansi's intervention, the stern-looking waiter immediately broke into a smile and led the young couple to a table, even providing warm cloths for them to wipe themselves dry.
"Have some food and then go take a rest. I have already paid for your rooms, so you don't have to worry about the cost," Gu Qiansi said.
"Thank you so much for your help, Lady," the young man clasped his fists towards Gu Qiansi. "I, Wen Guoping, am eternally thankful!"
"I, Jue Qishi, am eternally thankful!" the young lady did the same.
"As I said, don't worry about it," Gu Qiansi waved them off with a smile. "Just helping out fellow travellers here."
"So, what happened? How did you two end up in such a pitiful state?" Lu Zhiying popped her head out from behind Gu Qiansi and asked.
"This is...?" Wen Guoping asked hesitantly.
"She is with me," Gu Qiansi explained. "Zhiying, let's not poke our heads into other people's matters."
"There's no harm. Since Lady has been kind enough to help us out here, it's only right for us to explain ourselves," Wen Guoping looked at Jue Qishi and let out a sigh before continuing. "Truth be told, we left our village in the south due to our families' opposition to our love. Unfortunately, as you can see, we seem to have underestimated this journey and failed to pack sufficient food and money."
"Wow, elopers!" Lu Zhiying exclaimed. "How exciting!"
Looking at her current expression, one would hardly be able to imagine that she had been doubting the legitimacy of the young couple's claim just a few moments ago.
"Seeing that we have met here, are the two of you heading to Demonfall as well?" Gu Qiansi quickly asked, partly attempting to divert attention from Lu Zhiying's remarks.
"That's right!" Wen Guoping's eyes lit up as he answered. "Demonfall City is a spiritual symbol of how the power of the heart can conquer all odds. Considering our current situation, I can't think of a more fitting location for us to start building our lives together!"
"It is the symbol of how the power of the heart can conquer all odds?" Lu Zhiying tilted her head in confusion. "Why?"
"Oh? Have you not heard of the story of Demonfall?" Wen Guoping guessed. "Legend has it that in the past, the powerful demon Night Emperor came to power in the vicinity of the city, establishing its own territory and terrorising everyone in the region. Even the city lord's forces faced repeated failures in their expeditions against the Night Emperor, proving just how strong it was. But just when all hope seemed lost, the three heroes – Sir Lei, Lady Qian, and Sir Lan – finally stepped forward and entered the demon's territory in a bid to end it once and for all. Unfortunately, the Night Emperor proved too powerful, and the leader Sir Lei was forced to use a forbidden art to sacrifice himself and block the demon's ultimate attack, saving his friends from imminent death. Enraged by the sacrifice of their leader and friend, Lady Qian and Sir Lan charged at the Night Emperor with all their might, putting all of their heart into one final attack that successfully took down the powerful demon!"
"Oh..." Lu Zhiying's eyes sparkled in awe as she imagined the scene.
"Not yet, there's more to the story," Wen Guoping continued. "After their victory, Lady Qian and Sir Lan returned to the city with the remains of Sir Lei and the Night Emperor, proving to everyone that the power of the heart can conquer all odds! Eventually, Lady Qian and Sir Lan even got married and had a child, effectively establishing their roots in the city. From then on, the city has been renamed as Demonfall City to commemorate the three heroes' conviction and sacrifice in felling the Night Emperor, saving the world from eventual doom. Sir Lei was even named a martyr of the city!"
A few tables away, Zhao Yunxiao let out a meaningful smile.
Before coming on this mission, he had naturally done his homework and knew this story about the city's name. In fact, this was also the exact story of the cursed play that they were being consulted for. That said, for Wen Guoping and Jue Qishi to have come all the way because of it... it would appear that this story was quite the famous one!
"So, this story essentially told of how the three heroes managed to overcome the Night Emperor due to the power of their hearts?" Lu Zhiying sought to confirm. "Is that how Demonfall City came to be known as the symbol of how the power of the heart can conquer all odds?"
"That's right!" Wen Guoping nodded. "We might not be able to compare to how Sir Lei managed to single-handedly block the Night Emperor's attack to protect his comrades, or how Lady Qian and Sir Lan managed to overcome the Night Emperor following the devastation they must have felt from losing their leader. However, I believe that if we truly set our heart to it, we would surely be able to carve out a successful future at Demonfall City!"
"Heh, that's unexpectedly positive for someone who had to beg others just to not die of the cold," Lu Zhiying teased. "Are you sure you won't regret this?"
"Regret?" Wen Guoping smiled while gazing deep into Jue Qishi's eyes. "There might be a chance of things not turning out well, but regret is certainly not part of the equation. After all, you throw caution to the wind when you truly love somebody. If you are not even willing to step out of your comfort zone and risk disrupting your current life to pursue the one you love, then can it really be considered true love? Even if life becomes harder for now, this is still the life that I want, and I believe that this is what she wants as well. Leaving for Demonfall City is a risk that we had to take, and we have no regrets regarding this. Not now, and definitely not in the future as well!"
Seated across the table from Zhao Yunxiao, Nie Hanchang's chopsticks suddenly stopped moving. His face might not reveal any changes in emotions, but similar to the hand holding his chopsticks, his heart had suddenly frozen over for a moment.
After his parents passed away, his childhood friend Mu Manyu had been the only one who continued staying by his side.
When others despised and laughed at him for being unnecessarily stubborn about pursuing the bow and arrow, Mu Manyu had been the one to defend him and vouch for his talent.
When he encountered repeated failures in the pursuit of his path, Mu Manyu had been the one to cheer him up, assure him, and temporarily distract him from his frustrations.
When others ostracised him for achieving nothing, Mu Manyu had been the one to protect him and silence the instigators.
Nie Hanchang might seem to devote all his heart and soul into pursuing the path of the bow and arrow, but he was not an emotionless person. After going through all of that, how could he not have developed feelings for her?
At the same time, he could tell that Mu Manyu probably had similar feelings for him as well.
This should have been a good thing, if not for one huge problem – Mu Manyu was way too talented.
Seeing how Mu Manyu had been selected to enter the inner sect at a young age, the lacking Nie Hanchang chose to take the careful route when it came to reciprocating Mu Manyu's feelings.
Afraid that he would become a drag on this precious childhood friend of his, he reluctantly chose the path of inaction, resolving to only respond to Mu Manyu's feelings after gaining the right qualifications to do so – by entering the inner sect. He believed that only at that point would he be able to stand proudly beside Mu Manyu without bringing her any sort of embarrassment!
He had to do this not only for himself, his parents, but also for her.
With that thought in mind, Nie Hanchang started training even harder than before, isolating himself from just about everything, including Mu Manyu herself, as he focused solely on pursuing his path of cultivation... to prove himself and attain his goal of entering the inner sect.
Little by little, he started drifting away from Mu Manyu, but he did not mind that. After all, this was only temporary. Once he reached his goal, all of this would become nothing more than bittersweet memories for the both of them.
Or at least, that was what he thought.
Unfortunately, life was not that easy. His lacking self had ended up taking too much time, and his ideal outcome was simply not meant to be.
He had been trying to convince himself that this was for the best – that Mu Manyu truly deserved someone better than him. However, this mental wall that he had built around his heart could not help but experience a slight crack in the face of this mortal couple's resolution towards each other.
After all, you throw caution to the wind when you truly love somebody. If you are not even willing to step out of your comfort zone and risk disrupting your current life to pursue the one you love, then can it really be considered true love? Even if life becomes harder for now, this is still the life that I want, and I believe that this is what she wants as well.
Yes, it was not just about what he wanted, but also about what she wanted.
Had he heard this line a few years ago, would he have chosen to take action instead?
Had he done so back then, would things between him and Mu Manyu have turned out any differently from the way it was now?
That was something that he would never find out.